Despite a strong fourth-place showing in the NTT IndyCar Series standings, Pato O’Ward’s season was filled with “what ifs.”
The Arrow McLaren driver led the season opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg (Fla.) in the closing laps. However, a faltering engine made his No. 5 Chevrolet lose power momentarily, surrendering the lead to eventual winner Marcus Ericsson.
One race later at Texas Motor Speedway, it was a two-horse race between O’Ward and Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden. After leading 91 of the 250 laps, O’Ward lost the battle in a two-lap shootout and finished runner-up.
In May, O’Ward was in contention for a Borg-Warner Trophy at the Indianapolis 500. However, it all came crashing down after an attempt to pass Ericsson in the closing laps sent the 24-year-old into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway wall.
A crash in the streets of Detroit was O’Ward’s final dismal race of the year as he finished 10th or better in the final 10 races.
An average finish of 7.9 was a bright spot, however, O’Ward snapped his streak of two straight years of winning at least one race. He finished the year with seven podium finishes.
Next year will be O’Ward’s fifth full season in the IndyCar Series.